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Unit # and Title: Unit 4: Human Impact (ecology, Content Area: Biology

evolution, and biodiversity)

Teacher: Nguyen Duration: 9 weeks

Stage 1 - Desired Results


ESTABLISHED GOALS Meaning
UNDERSTANDINGS ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Content Standards: Students will understand that What causes change in the world around us?
NGSS Science & Evolution How do some changes cause other changes?
Engineering Practices Change in the genetic makeup of What impact do humans have on the world?
Asking questions a population over time is
& defining evolution.
problems. Organisms are linked by lines of
Developing and descent from common ancestry.
using models. Life continues to evolve within a
Engaging in changing environment.
argument from The origin of living systems is
evidence. explained by natural processes.
Obtaining, Ecology + Biodiversity
evaluating, and Interactions within biological
communicating systems lead to complex
information. properties (emergent property).
Competition and cooperation are
MA Curriculum important aspects of biological
Frameworks systems.
MA 5.1 Explain how Naturally occurring diversity
evolution is demonstrated among and between components
by evidence from the within biological systems affects
fossil record, comparative interactions with the
anatomy, genetics, environment
molecular biology, and Ecosystem
examples of natural
selection. Acquisition
Students will know Students will be skilled at
MA 5.2 Describe species
as reproductively distinct Ecology: species interactions, Students will be skilled at explaining cause and
groups of organisms. communities, and ecosystems. effect relationship.
Recognize that species are SWK the cycling of materials and
further classified into a the flow of energy through Students will be skilled at using various models
hierarchical taxonomic ecosystems reflect the ways and graphs to represent ideas and research.
system (kingdom, phylum, organisms interact.
class, order, family, genus, Biomes are broad, ecologically
species) based on uniform areas characterized by
morphological, climate, soil, and characteristics
behavioral, and molecular species.
similarities. Describe the Communities are shaped by the
role that geographic evolved features of organism,
isolation can play in which shape the interactions
speciation. with other organisms and with
the physical environment.
MA 5.3 Explain how SWK the various relationships
evolution through natural between species within a
selection can result in community: mutualism,
changes in biodiversity predation, and parasitism.
through the increase or
decrease of genetic The Anthropocene: Humans as a Planetary
diversity within a Force
population. Humans have a major impact on
the carbon cycle (mainly through
MA 6.1 Explain how birth, the burning of fossil fuels which
death, immigration, and releases carbon dioxide into the
emigration influence atmosphere).
population size. The impact of humans on the
environment is changing the
MA 6.2 Analyze changes stage on which evolution acts.
in population size and Biologist, engineers, doctors,
biodiversity (speciation mathematicians, and informed
and extinction) that result citizens all have vital role in
from the following: understanding our changing
natural causes, changes in planet and making wise decisions
climate, human activity, to influence change.
and the introduction of
invasive, non-native Framing around service learning project
species. Involving Groundwork Lawrence

MA 6.3 Use a food web to email them to give an overview of what


identify and distinguish I want to teach/do and if they have any
producers, consumers, ideas on how we can connect these ideas
and decomposers, and together*****
explain the transfer of
energy through trophic Evolution
levels. Describe how Genetic variation is the result of
relationships among differences in DNA sequences.
organisms (predation, Evolution is a change in the
parasitism, competition, frequency of alleles or genotypes
commensalism, over time.
mutualism) add to the Natural selection leads to
complexity of biological adaptations, which enhance the
communities. fit between an organism and its
environment.
WIDA Standards:
1: Social and Instructional
Language
4: Language of Science

Anchor Texts Mountain Lion Survival Activity


Peppered Moth Lab
Its (NOT) Just a Bug lesson and activity

http://www.biologycorner.com/lesson-plans/ecology/

Natural selection lab


Constructing a time lab task
Owl Pellet dissection to examine food webs.
Population Biology (Virtual lab)
Food for thought activity: experintenal activity modeling the amount of food a
country has to talk about resource, population density, and community needs.
Pond water examination to communities.

Collaboration with Groundwork? Growing vegetables in class and then transferring


these plants to a community center to learn about our actions can cause a change in
the world.

Stage 2 Academic Language


Modes of Language
Through this unit, how will students be using language in each of these three modes?
Interpretive Collaborative Productive
Students will read and interpret Students will be able to research and write a
new vocabulary in the context of short scientific article explaining a problem
short texts and information facing the environment and presenting
presented orally, with visual some possible solutions.
supports.

Students will follow multi-step


directions to engage in
simulations and lab activities.
Word Level
Tier 3 Vocabulary (All) Tier 2 Vocabulary (ELLs) Tier 1 Vocabulary (Newcomers)
Grade-level content vocabulary will Words that have multiple meanings, cross Basic, everyday vocabulary / social language that
ALL students learn and use disciplines, and are particularly challenging we assume most students already know.
and important for ELLs
Alleles evolve animals
Allele frequency evolution plants
analogous adaptations eat
homologous variation names of different animals & plants
vestigial competition names of different environme
fossils fitness
natural selection classify
kingdom isolation
phylum consumer
class decomposer
order Producer
Genus Cycle
Biogeochemical cycles
Water cycle
Nitrogen cycle
Carbon cycle
Food web
Sentence Level Discourse Level
Language forms & conventions; type, array, and use of Linguistic complexity; quantity and variety of oral and written text (amount,
language structures (grammar, syntax, sentence frames) organization, cohesion of text, features of genre and text structure)

Students will be able to explain cause and effect relationship


through oral and written discourse.

Students will use sequencing words to explain a procedure for


both lab activities and action steps for implementing change
initiatives on a global and local scale.

Stage 3 - Evidence
Written Assessment
Your unit test should assess content and should also have ACCESS-aligned components that assess language development.
Date of Unit Test TBA

How are you assessing For the unit project, I will assess language using a scoring rubric assessing writing
language? and speaking (oral presentation).
What ACCESS-aligned tasks will
assess listening, speaking, reading,
and/or writing?
Performance Task Culminating Project
Service based learning

Project Overview For this units project, students will engage in a service-based learning project where
A 2-3 sentence, high-level they will analyze the ways human impact the world.
summary of your project. The
elevator speech!
In class, students will study biological communities and the look at the resources
needed to support a stable communities. Students will analyze the ways in which
humans are impacting our environment both globally and locally.

Students will then the ways in which they can create change/become change agents
within their communities. Students will grow various garden vegetables and then
transplant these vegetables to local communities gardens. In the process, students
will sample and analyze the ways biogeochemical cycles (like the carbon cycle, water
cycle, nitrogen cycle) impact human populations. Furthermore, students will study
and consider the ways in which human have changed and impacted soil erosion.

During this process, students will write several reflections to demonstrate their
thinking and opinions on how humans have shaped the local and global ecological
communities by using academic language relevant to the content. At the end,
students will presenting their projects and new understanding of human impact
through a scientific, research poster that has an abstract, research method, and
conclusion.

Students will present their projects at a mock-science conference on global and


environmental studies populated by teachers and adults.

Driving Question or As students are engaging in the service-based learning project, students will confront
Problem to Solve the following driving questions:
What real-world challenge,
problem, or task will students
engage in to apply their learning? From a biological perspective, how do humans impact the world that we
inhabit?
How do our lifestyle and action change and influence the world around us?
What is a biological community and what makes a community stable?

In the process of carrying out this unit project, students will make sense of these
questions by synthesizing the major themes of evolution, ecosystems, and biome in
order to gain a deeper understanding on human impact and our ability to create
change within our communities.
Products or Individual Specific content or competencies to be assessed
Performance Task
Be specific about student tasks /
outcomes. Which are individual
and which are collaborative? What Team Specific content or competencies to be assessed
are you assessing with each?

Audience
Who is the intended, real-world
audience for student work?
Integrated Language Speaking Listening
How will language be integrated Students will present their research Listening guide for poster presentations
and assessed across all four
language domains? findings to peers and adults at school
site.
(As related to final project)

Reading Writing
Students will read primary documents Students will work in teams to write and
such as online articles and research peer review research posters.
articles to collect support evidence
for their research posters.

Tasks & Timeline First, we will spend 2.5 weeks covering ecosystem and 2.5 weeks on evolution. As we
What are the steps you and start looking at the idea of the anthropocene (at week 6) we will begin introducing
students will need to take to
complete the project and over the project and grading rubric for this project.
what time period will this occur?
[These tasks should also be
reflected in your unit calendar.]
Cross-Content Students will use the themes and ideas that they are learning in ESl and World Studies
Connections in order to build on ideas and themes relating to human impact and biomes.
What are the interdisciplinary
connections?
Reflection Methods XJournal / Learning Log
How will you engage students in To track and demonstrate their engagement, students will complete various
reflecting on their work product,
their language development, and / reflection and learning logs that will position them to not only explain, but to
or their collaboration? rationalize their own understanding of important biological ideas on: evolution, the
place of humans in this world, global impact, and humans as a driving force on this
planet.

Survey
For their research poster, students will conduct surveys and learn about survey taking
skills in order to collect information from fellow students within the high school.
Furthermore, students will use these survey to make sense of data and deeply
analyze their finding in order to make relevant connections to the theme of human
impact.

Student Friendly Rubric / Checklist


At every step of the project, students will receive a rubric and will be required to do a
self check of their performance as measured by the rubric.
Journal / Learning Log
Other:

Resources & Materials Onsite People & Facilities


Needed
What types of resources will you Onsite faculty members and adults will be invited to the poster research
need? Be sure to secure these far
enough in advance. presentations (mock global and environmental studies conference) to help judge and
engage with student projects.

Equipment, Materials, Online Resources, & Technology


<type here>

Community Resources
<type here>

Criteria for Success Have you created an exemplar response or student product (attach below)
How will you know whether
students have met expectations?
Have you selected or developed a rubric that measures success in CONTENT and
LANGUAGE? (attach below)

Stage 4 Learning Plan


Summary of Key Learning Events and Instruction

Date: 4/25 Date: 4/26 Date:4/27 Date:4/28 Date:4/29


CO: SWBAT define CO: SWBAT create CO: SWBAT explain CO: SWBAT CO: SWBAT take a
ecology. posters on ecological present their posters understand the quiz on ecological
levels to the class. on the ecological booklet project use levels of
levels of class time to work on organization.
organization. their ecological level
of organization
booklets.

LO: SWBAT say and LO: SWBAT find the LO: SWBAT present LO: SWBAT explain LO: SWBAT use a
write the different main idea from information learned concepts in their own listening guide to
ecological levels of reading a text. from a reading using words. record peer
organization. . sentence frames and presentations.
target vocabulary.

Task: Begin working Task: Group reading Task: listening note Task: Class time to Task: Booklet
on ecological Talking rock taking guide add pictures and presentation and
organization booklet. Posters details on the quiz
organizational
booklet.
Date: 5/2 Date: 5/3 Date: 5/4 Date: 5/5 Date: 5/6
CO: SWBAT define CO: SWBAT practice CO: SWBAT identify CO: SWBAT look at CO: SWBAT take a
symbiosis. . identifying examples the type of video examples of quiz on the ecological
mutualism, symbiosis. symbiosis to identify roles of organisms.
commensalism, and the type of
parasitism. relationship.

LO: SWBAT compare LO: SWBAT read LO: SWBAT read LO: SWBAT practicing LO: SWBAT use a full
and contrast the various ecological different ecological listening and sentences and target
different types of scenarios to identify scenarios to say and summarizing vocabulary to explain
symbiosis: different types of write the type of information from a different type of
mutualism, symbiosis. . symbiosis video. symbiosis..
commensalism, and represented.
parasitism.

Task: Task: Task: describing food Task: Class time to Task: Project
webs; work on food web presentations and
presentations. individual write ups.

Date: 5/9 Date: 5/10 Date: 5/11 Date: 5/12 Date: 5/13
CO:SWBAT explain CO: SWBAT begin CO: SWBAT fill out CO: SWBAT play a CO: SWBAT take an
the relationship collecting details on the jeopardy review exam on the
between producers information on a carbon, nitrogen, and game on ecology ecological unit.
and consumers. biogeochemical water cycles. concepts.
cycle.

LO: SWBAT use new LO: SWBAT work in LO: SWBAT report LO: SWBAT say new LO:SWBAT say new
vocabulary words to groups to read about what they learned vocabulary words vocabulary words
explain how a biogeochemical about a and write in full and write in full
ecosystems function. cycle. biogeochemical sentences. sentences.
cycle.

Task: Quiz! Finish up Task: Task: Graphic Task: Review Task: Ecology Exam
any presentations organizers

Date: 5/16 Date: 5/17 Date: 5/18 Date: 5/19 Date: 5/20
CO: SWBAT define CO: SWBAT describe CO: SWBAT stages of CO: SWBAT explain CO: SWBAT take a
Biogeochemical the events of the the carbon cycle to carbon footprint. quiz on the carbon
cycle and give an carbon cycle. real world scenario. cycle.
example.

LO: SWBAT LO: SWBAT present a LO: SWBAT read and LO: SWBAT write LO: SWBAT explain
summarize in their specific part of the analyze real world recommendations on the stages of the
own the main idea carbon cycle and scenarios. how to reduce their carbon cycle
from a reading. listen to peer carbon footprint.
presentations. (through matching,
describing, and
writing in a
paragraph).

Task: Task: Task: Task: Calculate their Task: LEA paragraph


Reading, put into Group jigsaw, carbon footprint
their own words, listening guide online.
vocabulary/word activity
part lesson. One computer per
group.
Previewing different
cycles and sharing
out.

Focus on the cycle


part of
biogeochemical
cycle.

frequencies
Examples/sorting of
examples of
evolution.

Date: 5/23 Date: 5/24 Date: 5/25 Date: 5/26 Date: 5/27
CO: SWBAT define CO: SWBAT CO: SWBAT explain CO: SWBAT perform CO: SWBAT explain
evolution. understand natural the different types of the natural selection the natural selection
selection as a type of selection. lab. lab.
evolution.

LO: SWBAT discuss LO: SWBAT LO: SWBAT LO:SWBAT LO: SWBAT
misconceptions on summarize and
evolution. discuss the natural
selection lab.

Task: Introduce Task: Reading Task:Reading Task: Review Task: Evolution Exam
evolution reflection different scenarios, different scenarios,
give rationale, do give rationale, do
group presentations group presentations Due: evolution
with each group with each group reflections
having a different having a different
scenario. scenario.

HWK: more scenarios


+ make their own
scenario.

Date: 5/30 Date: 5/31 Date: 6/1 Date: 6/2 Date: 6/3
CO: SWBAT CO: SWBAT explore CO: SWBAT describe CO: SWBAT
No School understand how and describe the what makes a good understand the final
humans have ways humans have research poster. biology project.
impacted this earth. influenced the
carbon cycle.

LO: SWBAT use LO: SWBAT write LO: SWBAT perform LO: SWBAT read and
sentence frames to and talk about cause a gallery walk and summarize a rubric.
share ideas in a and effect orally share ideas on
gallery walk. relationships. good research
posters.

Task: Gallery Walk Task: Human Impact Task: Introduce Final Task: Work on Final
Human Impact Project Project. Stage 1:
Picking a
topic/research
question.
Date: 6/6 Date: 6/7 Date: 6/8 Date: 6/9 Date: 6/10
CO:SWBAT choose a CO: CO: CO:
research topic and
essential question.

LO:SWBAT write LO: LO: LO:


research questions MUN State House
and plan for their Field Trip
final projects.
(No instruction)
Task: Task: create Task: collect data Task: turn data into
questions, write draft graphs
for introduction
Explain Data
Date: 6/13 Date:6/14 Date: 6/15 Date: 6/16 Date: 6/17
CO: CO: CO: Last Day of Start of Summer
Instruction Break

LO: LO: LO:


Task: Task: Task:

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